missing persons

Review: Dead Girls Tell No Tales by Carissa Ann Lynch

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Dead Girls Tell No TalesDead Girls Tell No Tales by Carissa Ann Lynch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Dead Girls Tell No Tales follows a downtrodden Fantasy author, Adriana McMahon, who after some life issues, moves back in with her Mom in her small Indiana hometown.

Adriana, struggling with writer’s block, is running out of money quick. At this point, she’s worried her publisher is going to show up, demanding her advance back. It’s dire times at the McMahon house.

Desperate to make ends meet, Adriana gets a job at a local shop. It’s there that she meets 17-year old, Rebel James, a high school girl with a love of creative writing.

Rebel is noticeably an outcast amongst her peers. She’s in need of a friend, or any sort of adult figure in her life, frankly. When she approaches Adriana about helping her with a writing project, Adriana’s hesitant, but she also sees glimmers of herself in Rebel, and does want to help.

She ends accepting Rebel’s request, and becomes a bit of a mentor to the teen. When Rebel suddenly disappears, and bodies of dead girls begin being found in the local area, Adriana becomes desperate to find out if her friend is okay, something no one else seems to understand.

Making matters more upsetting, it seems the murders are mirroring some of Rebel’s stories. Was Rebel trying to tell Adriana something through her writing?

Additionally, it all seems oddly-connected to Adriana’s own past, stirring up buried memories of her best friend she lost years before. The entire affair puts Adriana in a tailspin, making her logic and reasoning hard for others to follow.

Her Mom thinks she’s lost it, as do the local authorities, who are watching her closely because of her arguably erratic behavior. But Adriana knows something dark is going on in this town, and she’s gonna get to the bottom of it come hell or high water.

Dead Girls Tell No Tales is a true Popcorn Thriller. I could totally imagine this playing out as a Lifetime movie, and I don’t mean that in a bad way.

It kept me invested the whole way through. It did take me a few minutes to get used to Adriana’s narrative voice. She’s a quirky one, but after I just accepted the fact it is who she is, I started to really enjoy it.

I think part of it is related to the personal tragedies she suffered as teen. I feel like she got sort of stunted in that part of her growth, so at times, you think, how old is this woman? But honestly, in relation to everything going on, it does make sense.

I wouldn’t say there’s anything ground-breaking about the plot, but it was still entertaining and a fun weekend read. Sometimes, that’s all you need.

I think The Bachelorette Party is still my favorite from this author, but this would be a close second. It reminded me a lot of Whispers of Dead Girls by Marlee Bush, and I did enjoy this one more.

I would recommend this to Readers of Popcorn Thrillers. If you’re looking for something quick and suspenseful, that won’t require you to burn down all your brain power during the reading process, this could be the book for you.

Thank you to the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had a great time.

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Review: Dark Is When the Devil Comes by Daisy Pearce

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Dark Is When the Devil ComesDark Is When the Devil Comes by Daisy Pearce
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Dark Is When the Devil Comes is a story of estranged sisters, Hazel and Cathy. The two had a falling out years ago over an incident that occurred at Hazel’s wedding.

Years later, and recently divorced, Hazel returns to her small hometown of Idless, in the English countryside, to lick her wounds and hopefully recover.

Her parents are heading out on a 5-week holiday, so she offers to stay at theirs and sit for her Mom’s beloved Persian cats. It feels strange, but it is home and she can think of no better place to hide out and get her life back in order.

Cathy has mixed feelings about Hazel’s return, but agrees to meet up with her. Perhaps reconciliation is possible. But on the day they’ve selected to meet, Hazel doesn’t show.

Though Cathy didn’t expect everything to be glossed over right away, she certainly didn’t expect Hazel to ghost her. If she’s honest about it though, that type of behavior is out of character for Hazel. Something is off.

Along with another local woman, Suzi, who was childhood friends with Hazel, Cathy begins a relentless search for her sister. Even though they haven’t been close in recent years, she’s still family and Cathy cannot give up on her.

The desperation is palpable.

I’m a huge Daisy Pearce fan. What can I say? This was so freaking fun for me, made all the more compelling by the stellar audiobook narration.

I know her books aren’t for everyone, but they definitely work for me. I first fell in love with her writing in Something in the Walls. I felt that story to be chilling and gripping. I read it so quickly and couldn’t wait for more from Pearce.

This novel, though I rated it the same at 4.5-stars, I actually think I enjoyed even more.

In addition to following Cathy in her hunt for Hazel, we also get Hazel’s perspective. So, as the Reader, you know where she is, in a sense, and you know what’s happening to her.

I loved the back-and-forth. Both perspectives were intense, with both women being forced to face very trying circumstances. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of Suzi. I think she made the story so much more engaging than had it just been Cathy investigating by herself.

I don’t know how else to adequately explain why I enjoy Pearce’s writing so much, it’s just something about the plotting mixed with the darker, unsettling atmospheres that really does it for me.

The atmosphere, as well as the way the tension continues to build throughout, reminds me of Jennifer McMahon or Sarah Pinborough, two of my go-to authors.

I think if you’ve enjoyed their books, you should check out Daisy Pearce, if you haven’t already. I would also highly recommend the audiobook, as the narration by Catrin Walker-Booth is excellent. Her voice felt so genuine and true to the story. It was very enjoyable.

Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I cannot wait for whatever Daisy Pearce releases next.

You better believe I’ll be first in line!

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Review: She Had Enough by Stacie Grey

~ megs14malloy

She Had EnoughShe Had Enough by Stacie Grey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

While out to dinner on a Girl’s Night with her college friends, Mallory Taylor has an interaction in the bathroom with a member of their group, Caitlin, that she doesn’t know as well as the other women. Caitlin is quiet, and Mallory doesn’t know too much about her, except that she comes from money and her mother recently passed away.

If pressed, Mallory might describe Caitlin as someone who has always seemed a little lost, like she’s not living up to her potential. Nevertheless, when Caitlin asks Mallory to hold something for her, she does and then forgets about the object shortly thereafter.

Mallory’s not a forgetful person, but shortly after the dinner breaks-up, with all women going their separate ways, a giant earthquake rocks their city of San Francisco.

It’s a really scary night, and Mallory is lucky that she and her two cats survive unscathed, though her apartment, not so much. In the aftermath, Mallory realizes that she still has the object Caitlin asked her to hold. Thinking it might have sentimental value to her, Mallory vows to find her and return it when things settle down.

However, with the city in shambles, that task isn’t as simple as it may sound. As it turns out, Caitlin disappeared the night of the earthquake and no one has seen her since.

No one else seems alarmed though, reasoning that a lot of people left the city after the quake, but Mallory knows it’s more than that. The more she digs, the stronger her feelings that something terrible has befallen Caitlin.

Mallory begins her own investigation, and what she discovers is disturbing. All her digging hasn’t gone unnoticed either. Soon she find herself in the hot seat. Will she be able to find the truth about what happened to Caitlin, and expose the perp before they get to her too?

This was fun. It’s the 3rd-novel that I’ve read from this author, and I’ve enjoyed them all. I loved the backdrop of the San Francisco earthquake, and I enjoyed following Mallory as a main character.

Mallory felt very relatable to me. She just seemed like just an average woman, but one who wasn’t willing to turn the other way when someone may be in trouble. She was determined and plucky, and I liked that about her a lot.

She was also smart, and I enjoyed the way she worked through all of the information she had, and came up with steps to take next in order to try to find out the truth about Caitlin. She was very methodical about it all, which obviously made her dangerous to the baddie.

The mystery though, while intriguing throughout, did wrap-up a little too quickly and easily for my tastes. It had this great build, and Grey did a good job of steadily giving new info and adding tension to progress the plot. However, the big reveal lacked oomph for me.

Also, some of the side characters’ reactions, or more like non-reactions, to the who and what of it all, seemed lackluster. This was a major event, and they were like, ‘huh, weird, can’t believe they did that. Let’s brunch!’

It seemed odd right there at the very end.

At the end of the day though, I did find it gripping and entertaining. I liked many aspects, and even though the ending didn’t have quite the impact that I would’ve hoped for, I’m still happy with the experience overall.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to future work from this author. She’s quickly becoming a go-to author for me!

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Review: The Only One Who Knows by Lisa M. Matlin

~ megs14malloy

The Only One Who KnowsThe Only One Who Knows by Lisa M. Matlin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Only One Who Knows follows Minnow Greenwood after she quits her job as a TV News Reporter, and breaks up with her fiance all in one go.

Feeling like there’s nothing left for her in Melbourne, Minnow returns to her small hometown of Kangaroo Bay, a place she thought she’d never live again.

She reunites with her estranged brother and even starts to assist with the family business. Her family has a rough history, with both her mother and then their father having disappeared on them. But that’s Kangaroo Bay for you. Everything about it is rough.

When bodies start washing ashore, apparently victims of shark attacks, Minnow isn’t buying the story being told by the police. Minnow starts to do a little investigating of her own into the town she knows is riddled with dark secrets.

This was interesting. I liked some aspects of it, mainly the setting and Minnow herself, and then others I didn’t care as much about. Because of this, the overall experience was a bit of a mixed bag for me.

The bits about sharks, abalone, and the fishing community in general, I could have done without. Of course that’s just personal preference. I would have preferred just the missing person bits, and maybe a little town history.

However, I did like the way it was wrapped up and I also like how Minnow was forced to face past. I do tend to love stories where the MC returns to their hometown, after a long period away, and end up looking into past mysteries, etc. This definitely checked off that box.

For the most part though, I was fairly bored. The tone is also quite morose, and the mystery lacked a certain intensity for me. I think 3-stars based on my experience is quite gracious, but I know there are a lot of Readers who will be able to connect with this one more than I did.

Thank you to the publisher, Bantam, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Even though I found this one to be underwhelming, I still plan to pick up Lisa M. Matlin’s future releases.

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Review: Crone by Keith Rosson

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CroneCrone by Keith Rosson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤

Keith Rosson captured my heart and my full attention last year with Coffin Moon. There was something so devilishly-good about that book. The setting, the grittiness of the plot, the characters; it was a whole mood. It all worked for me and has remained in my mind ever since.

To say that I was excited to get an early-copy of this novel, Crone, would be putting it so mildly it wouldn’t even register. I was stoked for this and as you can tell from my rating, I wasn’t disappointed for a moment.

This novel matches Coffin Moon in tone, so if you also enjoyed that one, I would highly recommend reading this as well. The big difference would be while Coffin Moon is a bit of a vampiric romp, Crone is for the witches in the crowd.

This continues the classic dark Crime Fiction feel that Coffin Moon brought, and is actually even set in the same area of the United States, just in a later time period.

This story follows Eli Lamp, an ex-detective, turned addict, turned ex-addict, whose daughter disappeared 10-years ago. Eli’s battled his emotions since Hannah’s been gone, but the guilt and grief frequently overwhelm him.

Due to a certain incident Eli got himself involved in while investigating Hannah’s disappearance, he’s also now indebted to a local drug gang, the Crooked Wheel. They utilize his skills as an enforcer. It’s a dark road he’s traveled.

We also follow a young woman named Avery. Avery was actually Hannah’s best friend, and the two were together on the night that Hannah disappeared. Like Eli, Hannah has also really struggled since that night. The guilt and shame she’s felt since Hannah disappeared has definitely defined the trajectory of her life so far.

Avery fled their small town as soon as she graduated high school, unable to stand the whispers and looks any longer. Recently though, she’s been having extremely vivid dreams of Hannah calling her back.

After the boss of the Crooked Wheel’s son is found brutally murdered, he asks Eli to investigate it, so they can bring the killer to justice. If Eli’s successful, he won’t owe them any longer. He’ll be a free man.

His investigation brings him into the orbit of Avery, recently returned to town, a girl he never thought he’d see again. Soon the two are entwined in a search for answers that all link back to the night their dear Hannah disappeared.

Contrary to everything they might believe in, signs point to a mysterious something lurking the woods. A something with a bent back, black eyes and claws. No one wants to say witch, but it’s a thought…

This is such a beautifully-devastating story. My heart aches with the weight of it. It’s gritty and violent, showcasing the worst acts that humans can do unto each other.

There’s also a rawness to it all, with humanity just bleeding off the page. Rosson does such an incredible job of examining dark emotions, such as guilt, grief and self-doubt, even hate. This is vengeance-fueled story, much like Coffin Moon, and I was completely invested.

I loved the direction Rosson ultimately went with this. I will say the way he laid it all out, it’s not a path I would typically enjoy, but I think in this case, just because of the overall emotion of the story, it actually worked. He pulled it off.

If you’ve never read Rosson before, you’ve got time. Pick up Coffin Moon before this one releases in September. If you like that vibe, you should absolutely pick this one up as well.

Also, I definitely recommend this for fans of Witchy stories, particularly if you’re itching for something opposite of all the Cozy Witchy vibes we seem to be getting lately.

This is full stop a Horror novel. It’s violent, gory and full of complicated topics and emotions. It’s absolutely stellar and I cannot wait for a hard copy to take residence on my shelves.

Thank you to the publisher, Random House, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This will definitely be making my Best Books of 2026 list!!!

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Review: The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall

~ megs14malloy

The Girls BeforeThe Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Girls Before is a twisty, fast-paced Thriller from one of my go-to authors, Kate Alice Marshall. For me, KAM has such variety with her writing and I love getting my hands on each of her books as they’re released.

This story follows Audrey, a Search & Rescue expert, and a kidnapped woman, Stranger. The narrative transitions back-and-forth between them, slowly revealing connections and the truth of Stranger’s captivity. I loved that back-and-forth as the larger picture starts to become clear.

Audrey was a great main character. She has a lovable pitty named Barry, who I loved having involved in the story. Audrey was portrayed as a good dog mom and we do always appreciate that in a story.

In addition to following Audrey’s work in SAR, we also get to see a bit going on in her personal life and I liked that aspect. I felt like I really got to know her and it made me connect to her more and care about her as the story progressed.

Stranger’s perspective was rather horrifying. Everything she had gone through. Her struggles felt real. It was just awful to think about, to imagine being in that circumstance. Of course that made me empathetic to her in a different way than I was to Audrey.

I loved trying to figure out what was actually going on. There ended up being a lot of different players that comes into the action in a heavy way.

I’m sure this won’t be for everyone, but for me it was very entertaining. I listened to the audiobook in a day, a format I would recommend. The narration by Ina Barrón and Karissa Vacker brought the story to life. I felt sucked into this world and I wasn’t stopping until I had all the answers.

I love nothing more than digging into the secrets of a really toxic family or disturbing small town, and this definitely satisfied that itch. I did feel it got a little convoluted in the second half, however, I still liked it a lot.

I’m confident I followed all the lines KAM was setting and I was happy with the conclusion. I would recommend this for Thriller Readers, particularly if you’ve enjoyed KAM’s work in the past, or if you enjoy stories featuring missing persons.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I had a lot of fun reading it. Kate Alice Marshall’s work is always a good bet for entertainment!

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Review: They Fear Not Men in the Woods by Gretchen McNeil

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They Fear Not Men in the WoodsThey Fear Not Men in the Woods by Gretchen McNeil
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

They Fear Not Men in the Woods follows Jen Monroe, who returns to her hometown in rural Washington after receiving word that her father’s remains have been found.

Her Dad, a forest ranger and avid conservationist, went missing 7-years prior while out in the backwoods. He was a knowledgeable survivalist, and Jen has always held out hope that he was still alive somehow, but it’s hard to argue against a positive dental identification.

Jen returns home, not just to attend her father’s funeral services, but also determined to figure out what really happened to him after his disappearance.

The homecoming is awkward. She’s been estranged from her mother for years, and their reunion goes about as well as expected, but Jen also feels distant from her friends. She just feels so different from the girl she used to be.

Nevertheless, when her ex-boyfriend suggests a camping trip in honor of her father’s memory, Jen sees it as the perfect opportunity to get back into the forest and maybe find the truth about what happened to her Dad.

Unfortunately, the dangers lurking in the forest are darker and more dangerous than she ever expected and now all of their lives are at risk.

While this book started out fairly strong for me, in spite of how abrasive I found the MC to be, it was still looking like a possible 4-star read. Unfortunately, the farther I got into it, the more I started to dislike it, until it ended up falling off an absolute cliff for me.

By the end, I was just grateful it was over.

It’s impossible for me to really go into what I didn’t like about this one without giving anything away. The reveal of what was going on in the forest, that’s where my brain just turned off completely to this story. I hated it.

I feel like the direction this takes is going to end up being divisive for Readers. You’re either going to be into it, or you’re not. I don’t see a lot of room for middle of the road opinions on this one.

I know McNeil is a talented author and I’ve enjoyed her work in the past, but this was not it for me. I found it cheesy and a little lame as far as the Horror elements went.

I know this sounds harsh, but I need to be honest about my experience, and that’s honestly what I walked away feeling. This is just my opinion though, and you shouldn’t let it keep you from reading this one if you want.

The fact that this was a miss certainly won’t keep me from picking up more works from Gretchen McNeil in the future. We can’t love them all.

Thank you to the publishers, DAW and RB Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. Even though the story didn’t work for me personally, I would recommend the audiobook, which was well-narrated by Justis Bolding.

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Review: What We’ll Burn Last by Heather Chavez

~ megs14malloy

What We'll Burn LastWhat We’ll Burn Last by Heather Chavez
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

I always look forward to new releases from Heather Chavez. After I finish one, I’m immediately on her author page, checking to see if there’s info on the next release.

What We’ll Burn Last is her 2024-release and it follows a few different perspectives. It’s set in California and is a Missing Persons-based Thriller. Our main perspectives are Leyna, Meredith and Olivia.

Leyna was my favorite. She had an older sister, Grace, who went missing years before. At the beginning of this story, she has an interaction with a young woman that stirs all sorts of memories about Grace.

Shortly thereafter, she sees the news that this young lady, Ellie, has disappeared. Not only did Ellie greatly resemble Grace at the time of her disappearance, but she also went missing from the same spot that Grace did. This cannot be a coincidence, can it?

Leyna has been active on true crime forums since Grace disappeared and she uses those platforms to begin to dig into Ellie’s case. This string of events eventually leads her back to the hometown she left years prior and back into the circle of people she’s been trying to avoid.

Her Mom, Meredith, is a hard perspective to follow. She wasn’t likable, but I never feel like I need to like a character in order to enjoy their perspective, but I will admit to finding Meredith’s POV to be a real slog.

We also follow a woman named Olivia. She is the Mom of Grace’s boyfriend, Adam. Boyfriend, as in, they were a couple at the time that Grace went missing. By-the-by, Adam went missing at the same time. The two families have been at odds ever since.

You follow along with these three perspectives as the truth about the past, about what happened to Grace and Adam, as well as the current mystery of Ellie, and the drama between the two families is all worked out.

Honestly, it was a lot to follow. I really enjoyed the first half. As mentioned above, I had a great time following Leyna’s perspective. The beginning was so intriguing, as she met Ellie and then learned of her disappearance.

This stemmed her investigation into Ellie, and it also rekindled her interest in what happened to her sister. This brought her back to her hometown. The trope of an MC returning to a hometown after a long period of time away, to look into some old mystery, is one of my favorites.

Unfortunately for me, the other perspectives brought this story down for me. They weren’t as interesting to me as Leyna and my mind began to wander during their sections.

By the 60%-point, my interest was down. Whereas one would think my interest would only increase as the story went along, that really wasn’t the case here.

I still feel like this is a solid story and that first half was def a 4-star read for me, but I had to drop my rating a bit, as went my level of interest, in the later half.

With this being said, even though this wasn’t my favorite of her books, I’m already chomping at the bit to see what Chavez is going to deliver us next.

In comparison to her earlier books, I didn’t find this one quite as pulse-pounding, but I still feel like it had a good plot and included strong character work.

I did like the setting and the initial build-up of the mystery as well. It did bring to mind the real-life tragedy of Gabby Petito, and that case was mentioned briefly within this story. I’m not sure if that case inspired Chavez to write this or not, but the relationship between Grace and Adam did have a similar vibe.

At the end of the day, this is a solid Missing Persons Thriller and I would encourage others to pick it up. I think if you’re able to connect in some way to all three perspectives, this could be a very intriguing read for you.

Thank you to the publisher, Mulholland Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Chavez is a gifted writer and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

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Review: The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

~ megs14malloy

The Return of Ellie BlackThe Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ellie Black has been missing for 2-years when she’s suddenly found by hikers in the woods of Washington State.

She’s distraught and disheveled, but where exactly has she been? Detective Chelsey Calhoun is shocked by Ellie’s reappearance, but unfortunately, Ellie’s not offering up a lot of answers. The mystery lingers.

For Chelsey, any missing person case hits close to home. Her sister, Lydia, went missing when they were just teens, and ever since, Chelsey has been searching for closure for herself, and any other missing girls out there.

As Chelsey begins questioning Ellie, she’s not able to get any real answers from her. It feels off, like Ellie is hiding something, but what? She’s a victim here, right?

This novel is insta-compelling. We kick off with Ellie being discovered and from there, it’s a ride. We get a lot of different perspectives, and even different points in time, as we begin to build out the truth behind this mystery.

I was initially surprised by all the perspectives, but somehow, it just worked. I also loved the tone from the start, how mysterious it all was.

This definitely kept me guessing and I appreciated how Jean continually added to the mystery. What started out as the mystery of what had happened to Ellie, ultimately evolved into so much more.

I thought Jean had some very clever reveals and I loved the thoughtful way she explored the topic of the exploitation and victimization of women.

Overall, I was impressed with this. The tone stood out for me. I’m not sure quite how to explain it, but it felt distinctive from other Missing Persons Thrillers. It’s quite character-drive, but so well-executed.

Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to reading more from Emiko Jean!

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